Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-09-10
u-ANp ITS WORK.

of step in the hallway. She did not stir,
but blush crept slowly on her cheek. Mr.
Jack came in exactly as if he had been ex-
pected. He walked over to her chair,
leaned gently over its back and kissed her
on the forehead. She blushed more deeply,
but made no protest. She still gazed into
the Goals. Bugs ?'' he asked gayly.
g No, not bugs" she said.
+" Would you kindly inform me what
Larvae of thought is at present alternating
under the loose bark of your brain ?''
d" am afraid it is very loose" she said
slowly and thoughtfully.
Where is the professor ?'
He has gone down to the Postoffiee.
There is meeting tonight. He will not
be back till H."
He pulled chair up beside hers. He
took her warm, dimpled hand in his and
held it tenderly as he talked with her.
for her.
What is it, Jack ?"
" l have a scheme"
You are always having schemes"
But this is a beauty. Listen On
Thursday will not gosto the city, being
unfortunately seized with malignant
whooping cough over night. l will come
for you wherever you say at 10 o'clock
precisely. The carpellary ovarium of my
Brewster body shall be filled with turkey
sandwiches, chow-chow pickles and St.
Julien, or some ice and a bottle of Pom,
if you prefer. We Will drive down to
Laundry Farm, see nobody but our two
selves and spend an idylic day in the
shadow of a canyon so beautiful that it
will make your hair curl. / will read
you Lucille till you are aweary, and the
day shall be as perfect as dream"
She said nothing.
"Will you go dear?" he asked tenderly.
The little woman's heart was beating
very rapidly, very painfully, Just then.
Fighting forces were drawing her now
this way and now that. She had fought
bravely for a long time, till she had grown
weary and almost strengthleSs with the
struggle. There was not hand to stay or
soul to help her 1t seemed craven in
the book of fate that she must go to some
laundry farm at some time and to strive to
stem the tide seemed of little use. For she
had lost all confidence in herself During
all the evenings of all the weeks of all the
months that the professor had been bend
ing over his desk in the library he had
been sapping the foundation of her
| wifely egotism, convincing her in her
own mind that as wife, she possessed at
fractions none at all. Since he had lost
all his interest in her, since all his old
| thoughtfulness, all his little gallantries
had disappeared, since it took only such a
poor thing as dusty study to wean his
love away from her, she must be growing
| old and ugly and unworthy. Her constant
breeding had not improved her looks or
her manner. There was an undeniable
change in her, and her mirror was an accu-
sation that added sharpness to her sad and
silent thoughts. But for Jack she would
| have believed that she had lost all those
pretty destinations which she had once be-
| lieved so potent all those dainty charms
of her sex which win and hold mems love.
Jacks appreciation alone stood between
her and her belief in the complete I'M
worthiness of herself.
There are in the world such things as
wives who are tempted to forget their wifely
duty solely by hungering desire to retain
their womanly self-respect.
The professor had gone down to the
postoffice in an ordinary frame of mind.
When he had received a letter from a
prominent New York publishing firm and
read its contents, he beamed with delight.
1t had been accepted. 1t would be pub
| lished: 1t was regarded as "most timely
and valuable contribution to the literature
of special science" He could scarcely
contain himself. With long, eager strides
he started back to his house to tell the
| great news to her.
1t should be surprise. He would put
the letter under her eyes without word
and watch her delight as she read He
softly mounted the steps and crossed the
veranda and tip-toed into the house toward
the sittIng-room door. But he stopped.
one there and he listened to discover who
! it was
"Will you go, dear ?' the voice said
Don't ask me, jack" she said, plead
ingly.
But you have no amusement, no recre-
| alton, no one to talk to. Nothing but that
beastly old treatise from morning till
night. You are certainly entitled to some
happiness" he urged.
My life is so lonely-so lonely" she
murmured sadly, half to herself She
looked into the Goals, through and beyond
them, into the sunless dark of a long future
of neglect.
Mr. Jack leaned forward There was a
rustling as she stretched away from him.
"Oh, Jack. Please don't. You must
not kiss me- Please do not" she said.
The professor stepped forward. He was
wild Rut he stopped, gripped the door
casing and held himself with all his
strength. He had not made sound. He
was peculiar man, the professor, and he
did peculiar thing. He turned very
white, tip-toed noiselessly out of the house
and sat down on the steps. 1t was dark
He leaned forward and bowed his head in
his hands. Ten minutes passed, and still
he sat there, motionless figure, without a
word. Then he arose, walked softly on
the grass toward the gate, slammed the
gate and tramped noisily up the gravel
and the steps. He hung up his hat in the
hall and walked into the sitting-room.
"Good evening, Jack" he said cordially
How are the people at home?'
So, So" said Jack easily. They're
all gone out to some meeting"
Eyes l was going myself, but l felt a
little shaky down at the postoffice, and
thought would come home"
| LOU w looh pdle; uSdi, SnS Silu
They chatted for while, and soon Jack
rose to go. The Professor went with him
as far as the door. He went further. He
went outside, closed the door, went down
the steps and faced him on the walk The
mans whole aspect had changed in an in.
slant. His face and neck were dull red
with passion and his eyes glared murder.
ously His big shoulders were bent for,
ward, his hands were raised, and his fingers
were curved. He looked like wild beast
ready to spring.
"There is one part of my treatise you
have forgotten" he said with husky
deadly distinctness. No true fruit
grower will shrink from his duty to kill
out this pest"
The last words fairly Kissed through the
madman's teeth. Do you understand
me ?"
Mr.. Jack understood. He was cool
cool as man is apt to be when he knows
that trifiing misstep may leave him
throttled on the ground.
d" l do" he said.
"Then gow The professors appraised
arm pointed away from his home. And